I missed Wade’s sermon today, but we had a pretty lively discussion about it this evening. There was so much for us to talk about, but we had to get out of there early to put the little one to bed. The sermon was on the church’s approach to and treatment of homosexuality. Tonight we talked about homosexuality, sin, accountability, and a little church polity.
I’ve been thinking about the conversation all evening and have decided to dig up everything I’ve written on the subjects, each with a link and an excerpt. So here it is!
You Call That Protection? August ‘06
The institution of marriage has been around a looooong time. It’s survived centuries of men treating women as property. It survived the dark ages, the Enlightenment, and the Industrial Revolution. It survived the War of 1812, the Civil War, the two Great Wars, and Vietnam. And it has stood strong through our society’s turn towards cohabitation and parents who avoid marriage. But it’s suffering some staggering blows. The traditional family in the US has been on the decline for 40 years. It’s almost rare for a child to be raised by both biological parents. People are choosing to stay single (but not celibate), and those who do get married do it much later and with much less commitment than in past generations. Even when they’re married they have a bag packed in case they aren’t “satisfied”. The marriage bond is weakening and prenups and no-fault divorce are just making it worse. Thank God someone figured out how to protect this sacred institution from further damage; by focusing our energy on making sure gay people don’t get married.
On the Narrow, October ‘06
In Matthew 16, after Peter’s confession, Jesus rebukes him fiercely, calling him Satan. “You do not have in mind the things of God,” he says, “but the things of men.” Peter was working from the human assumption that God wouldn’t allow his Son, the Messiah, to be killed. We, much the same way, work from the human assumption that God wouldn’t allow someone to be born in a way that forces them to resist their natural desires.
Across the Board, November ‘06
I think that the church should take a more Biblical stance on sin. We tend to single out sexual sin as the only one that is bad enough to keep people out of the church: homosexuality, promiscuity, adultery. And adultery has to be really egregious to get real attention.
Sin and the Sinner, December ‘06
Paul was a murderer of Christians before he became one. And Jesus sought him out to take the message to the Gentiles. If that man could be forgiven, why not this one? We have to do a much better job of separating the sin from the sinner, because with the measure we judge with, we will also be judged. If you hold someone’s past sins against them, yours may be held against you.
Pastors, Gays, and Divorcees, December ‘06
We need to stop wallowing in our own mediocrity. Instead of using the prevailing acceptance of one sin to gain acceptance for another, we should be trying to eliminate sin in our lives and communities. Not to gain salvation, because Christ alone offers that, but to show our gratitude, and to show our faith. We are called to holiness, and we should strive for it.
Something Schmels, February ‘07
…the easy way to deal with homosexuality is to condemn all homosexual persons on spec, whether they are abstaining and devout or not. The right thing is to love and accept everyone and “teach them to obey everything [Jesus has] commanded.” It’s obviously much harder.
My Genes Made Me Do It, February ‘07
Jesus welcomed prostitutes, but he never welcomed prostitution. He was soft on adulterers, but unyielding on adultery. After forgiving the adulterous woman, in fact, he adds: “Go and sin no more.”
Civics and Christianity, March ‘07
Loving our neighbor is an idol to the left. It’s taken on a whole new meaning. To the progressive movement it means accepting them and their sins. But if we truly love them we’ll confront their sinfulness, so they can repent and turn to God. Holiness is an idol to the right. But it manifests itself not in true holiness, which is characterized by servanthood and humility, but in the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. Pretending to have no struggles is not holiness.
I’m Back…I Think, April ‘07
This doesn’t say not to judge, it says don’t judge harshly, because you’ll be judged in the same way you judge others. That means don’t judge someone for cutting you off, because you’ve done it. Don’t judge someone for being sloppy and poor, because you are, too. It doesn’t mean don’t judge at all.
Rule #7, January ‘08
I don’t think we spend enough time thinking about that little gem at the end of Romans 3 - “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” At least, not while considering this at the end of 1 John 1: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
Rule #8, February ‘08
Now, this distinction - saint and sinner, adopted-child-of-God and child-of-the-other-guy - is not about privilege…it’s about responsibility. We now have a standard of behavior: love, mission, morality. The bar is high and the guidelines are clear. Without Christ we have no hope. With Him we have no excuse.
OK, that wasn’t all of them, but it will get you started.
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Blogs4God
Thanks for this… it’s a topic that I have on my mind often and you’ve given me some stuff to think about. Now I’ll have to go through your archives, too!!
- sara